Malice
by Fentir
Summary: Villains don't risk to miss a hit-and-kill attempt. This fiction is an attempt to correct the inconsistency in SH2, the Mt. Fuji chapter. ;)
1. Chapter 1

AUTHOR'S NOTE

* * *

 _I get they wanted to keep the game as docile as possible with as little violence as possible._

 _Maybe only magic violence. No blood spilled despite a character being stabbed._

 _Just let's say they went too far with that sentiment._

 _This short examines how things would've gone if Nicolai hadn't been an idiot in the Mt Fuji chapter._

 _Inspiration: My Demons - Starset  
_

* * *

It had been one hell of a fight against Astaroth.

Despite the demon being weakened compared to his former glory, he still put up a lot of resistance. In the end, they'd beaten him anyway, with his host lying on the ground, pained but otherwise fine. Of _course_ they should kill him. But everyone knew none of them would have it in them to murder in cold blood. Not even Yuri, who simply stood aside, watching his archenemy, lost in thoughts.

Karin wasn't as distanced. She seemed torn between staying where she was and checking up on the priest, utterly torn. Finally she settled with looking away.

When Nicolai came to, the first thing he wheezed was Karin's name. Unable _not_ to react - hardly possible, after all, the man had admitted his love to her - she slowly moved in his direction, ignoring the warning growl of both Blanca _and_ Yuri, stopping next to the white-clothed man. He breathed heavily and seemed to be in such pain. Maybe if she healed him, just a little.. maybe he'd finally stop this madness.. maybe even..

Nicolai smirked.

Then he quickly grabbed the next best thing available, which happened to be a broken off claw from his former demon self. If he was to die, he'd take her with him to god's kingdom. He lunged for her, heard her gasp, then his weapon met flesh.

But it wasn't Karin he'd hit. The red-haired swordswoman lay a few steps further to the right, staring unbelieving at Yuri who'd shoved her aside and consequently got hit by the stab instead, his left side being impaled by the poisonous claw. Nicolai was surprised at first, then grinned gleefully.

"Now I got you, Godslayer.. say your prayers, for you'll answer your creator soon!", he snarled, pressing the claw further into the man, who groaned and tried pulling back, only to sink to his knees. Growling, he looked up at Nicolai who feigned triumph, but when the blood-red eyes of his enemy stared right into his, every fiber of his body screamed at him to run, and run fast.

".. You wanna play with claws..?", Yuri then said, his voice almost eeriely calm. ".. I'll show you claws.."

Just in time Karin averted her gaze, when the man was pierced by the harmonixer's fist-mounted claws, from chest to back. A bloody gasp was all the priest could utter before his eyes went dim and his upper body limp. As he sagged to the hot floor, he was already dead.

Numb, Yuri pulled his claws free from the dead body of Nicolai Conrad and pushed himself to his legs, watching his deed, something close to regret flaring up for just a few seconds. He hadn't wanted to kill the man; but Nicolai had pulled one stunt too much. He'd tried to kill Karin twice now; there wouldn't be a third time. Yuri then turned to go, to join the others, made one single step in their direction, only to taste something iron before spitting a mouthful blood. For a moment he stared at the red liquid on his glove, then collapsed to the floor. Through hazy eyes saw Karin run at him, before everything went dark.

* * *

 _A moan in the air, the smell of dust and death._

 _It was dark alright, but another kind of dark. Not just the lack of light but as if something purposefully killed the light._

 _And he felt he wasn't alone. This was probably the most unsettling thing about being on the graveyard again._

 _He was supposed to be alone here - maybe with the exception of Jeanne and his comatose alter-ego up in the dead mistle tree - and what made matters worse; he knew these auras, these presences. And hated them, to the core of his being._

 _Because, well.. it wasn't that far from here to that core. Even if he wasn't exactly sure where he was this time, because this place didn't ring any bells. It wasn't the spacious old Graveyard from a few months ago (that one had disappeared in a nervesplitting migraine when Alice died) or even what had been left of it (the mistletoe tree wasn't in sight, nor any of the doors).. Just a plain, wide area of flat terrain, ground dusty and barren._

 _"Look, look, look who's finally awake..", a voice sneered and another added_  
 _"It's the foolish boy who thought he could escape us.."_  
 _"And he's worse for wear, too! I think he's ready to join us~", said a third and a fourth added_  
 _"No, let's just eat him. He doesn't deserve to be one of us"_

 _Yuri stood - realising he'd woken up lying down, which was weird enough - and stared into the eyes, or more, lack thereof, of four creatures he had hoped were gone. Floating masks, which kept gibbering and snickering as he struggled to stay up-right. A blue fish, a green, horned lion, some weird yellow bird and a red tiki-mask were contemplating wether they'd eat him or not, hovering around him._

 _Yuri went for his claws only to realise they weren't there. Right. He couldn't use weapons here. His failed attempt made the masks laugh even louder._

 _"You can not slay us, puny human.. Even if you had the power", the lion purred and the bird scrawed (for the lack of a better word)_

 _"I'm sure you remember your old friend.."_  
 _"Oh no he doesn't, he thought he'd beaten him back then, when that girl was around to mess things up!" Fish._  
 _"You mean the girl who offered her life to us?" Bird again._  
 _"Yes, that one. Delicious little soul.." Fish._  
 _"What was her name again? Arriku?" Tiki._  
 _"No, no, that wasn't it. It was Arisu.." Lion._  
 _"Are you sure? I could swear it was..." Tiki._

 _Yuri growled. "Her name.. is Alice, you freaks.."_

 _That got their attention. Though the four weren't as impressed as Yuri had hoped them to be. In fact, it did amuse them even more._

 _"Look, look, look who decided to join the conversation!"_  
 _"It's the boy who is gonna die now.."_  
 _"Let's eat him, let's eat him!"_

 _Despite being weaponless, Yuri went into battle position. "Come on, I don't have all day.."_

 _But right when they were rushing at him, he heard a voice._

 _~ Yuri..! Come on, wake up..! ~_

 _Everything froze. If anything, the masks seemed displeased. Their attack halted, they saw their target smirk._

 _"Looks like we'll have to do this another time..", Yuri said,_ utterly _pleased at this outcome, then turned to go, not caring where, just as far away from them as possible.. knowing he'd wake up in a few moments, by the way his limbs regained feeling as they always did when these sessions ended._

 _As he started walking, he heard the bird behind him._

 _"You will be back. Sooner than you think, boy. Then we will have your life."_

 _"Yeah, right", Yuri spat back and welcomed the feeling of something heavy and warm._

 _He breathed out and the world slowly started to fall apart. But as it did, Yuri felt another being around - he turned to face that newcomer, but all he saw before everything blacked out was a pair of red eyes, white hair and a malicious grin.  
_

 _x-x-x_

 _Yuri had expected to wake up by now, find his friends standing around him, waiting for him to play down the fact he'd again randomly collapsed (well, maybe not *that* randomly for once), stand and move on._

 _The fact he couldn't see didn't exactly improve things._

 _So he hadn't woken up then. This weird shit wasn't over yet.. But here was nothing. Nobody._

 _He stood alone in the midst of black nothingness. Having nothing else to do, he started walking around. The ground beneath his feet splashed as if wet. A gooey splash, felt sticky. Oh god._

 _"Hey there, Yuri-boy", came a voice from behind, making him spin on his heels, fists in battle pose. For a moment he stared into the darkness, unable to make out the form of that voice's owner. Then the person - was it a person? - came forth, his appearance glowing in a weird, violet hue, matching his skin color. His hair white, eyes bloody red._

 _"Nox..", Yuri growled, instinctively stepping back, which amused the demon who just kept approaching. "W-what is it?! What do you want, huh?!"  
_

 _"No need to put up a brave front~"_

 _When said demon then rushed at Yuri, the harmonixer prepared for the impact - but when it hit him, the lights went out for good._

* * *

When Saki joined them, her expression was sad.

They'd brought the unconscious hero back to Inugami village, where his aunt Saki Inugami immediately had taken him under her tutelage. Now his limp body rested in the guestroom of her house, a cold cloth on his head, with the friends waiting outside for news. To everyone's relief, Karin stopped pacing and went to face the priestess. The older woman shook her head.

"I could stop the bleeding, but he's not waking up. It's the fever I am most worried about. I can not do anything about the poison either."

"No..", Karin whispered, stepping back, shaken by the news.

"Is there anything we can do?" It was Joachim, passionate as always.

"I am afraid not. There is no antidote against malice after all. He has to fight it alone, as such is the fate of our common blood."

Kurando looked away. He knew how nasty this aspect of being a harmonixer was. He himself might've only once ever reached the level where he'd have to face this bad energy, this negative influence, and got rid of it by meditating four weeks straight. He also knew that Yuri was different from him and somehow seemed to attract malice whenever he fought monsters. This was special, even amongst harmonixers. Still he felt for his cousin. This wasn't just any plain old malice either, not some lesser monsters being angry at you, but the hatred of a thousand year old demon. No wonder Yuri was out. Who knew what kind of nightmarish creatures would haunt him now.

His thoughts were distracted when Karin pushed past Saki, ignoring her protests, intend on going into the guestroom. Before she could finish her move though, the young swordsman had grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her back.

"Don't. Malice is contagious. If you go in there, you might end up dead."  
"He is right, Karin.. please leave it to me. I can fight back against the dark force. Do not waste my nephew's sacrifice."

Karin fumed. "Don't talk as if he was dead already!"

With that, she turned, rushed past Kurando and the others, out of the room, the house. The last they heard of her was the front door being slammed shut.

Gepetto turned to follow her, but Saki raised her hand, stopping the old puppeteer in his tracks.

"She has a right to be angry. My choice of words was poor. I shall apologise later."  
"Right.. Well then, what will we do until Yuri is back on his feet?"  
"You have astonishing optimism", said Kurando with a raised eyebrow.  
"And you underestimate him. He's been through more than that. If he was awake right now, he'd probably call it a cold or something!"

Everyone nodded. Yeah, that'd be exactly what Yuri would say.

So it was decided they'd stay here for a bit, helping out the villagers. Saki offered them to stay in the empty house on the edge of the village, as a kind of payment for their coming labor, which was gladly accepted. After all, there wasn't much else such a poor village had to give. On the other hand, neither of them was out for fortune and fame anyway. Each had their own reasons for being part of this journey. So it didn't bother any of them.

In fact, that house wasn't half bad. Just enough space for the six of them with a bed to spare for Karin, once she calmed down. Their sparse belongings found room in the large cupboards, there even was a kitchen and a bath. It was more luxury than any had had for over six months now.

* * *

Blanca wasn't so fond of this thing tho. He preferred sleeping outside. So while everyone made themselves at home, he went to look for their missing packmate. Her trail was easy to pick up. Not that she had a stench on her, but there was something typical about her scent that made it really easy to follow - if you had such a good nose as he, that is. Her trail pointed towards Sukune Fountain, so Blanca fell into a swift trot and stood before the cave in no time. No doubt, her scent was fresh and clear here, so the female must have gone this way, right?

He found Karin in the midst of the platform inside the fountain, just standing there, her back towards him. The wolf decided to get her attention and thus barked. Karin flinched and turned around quickly enough for her to lose balance and find herself sitting not much later.

"Blanca.. you scared me.."  
"Awroh! Grr grr, whuff whuff, rrrrr~" (Hello! What are you doing here, fair lady?)  
"Nothing at all.. just.. nothing..", Karin's voice trailed off as her eyes wandered to the crystal clear water around her. Blanca watched her, sat down and yawned. Karin smiled, but it was a sad smile.  
"Why don't you go back to the others? I'll.. come later."  
"Grrr.." (No.)  
"Please.. I just.. want to be alone for a bit. Would that be alright?"  
"Grrrrrr. Whuff." (No.)  
".. what am I doing, arguing with a wolf.."

With that she turned her back on Blanca once again, laid on her side and tried ignoring the impatient whimpering. Only when she heard his claws click as he left, she looked over her shoulder, only to see his tail swish around the corner. A soft sigh and a smile, then she put her head on her arms and made herself a little more comfortable. All of a sudden, she felt so incredibly tired..

Was it a good idea to sleep here? Who knew.. who cared, anyway..

It didn't take long until she was dozing off.

* * *

 _Weird dreams plagued her._

 _The foreigner cemetary in Yokohama.  
_ _Kato.  
_ _All of them were there, but she couldn't make out the words spoken.  
_ _An earthquake.  
_ _Spikes shooting out of the ground.  
_ _Something large appearing out of thin air, the form of a large stone cylinder.  
_ _They would go there, all the way up.  
_ _  
A platform, falling apart everywhere. Lightning all around.  
_ _A decision she would have to make.  
_ _A consequence to bear, changing her life forever.  
_ _A painful departing, sadness and joy, all mixed up.  
_ _A broken promise._

 _Fear._

 _At last, Yuri gave her a sad smile, before being impaled by something. Dead._

* * *

Karin woke with a start.

Right away she was on her feet and ran out of the cave, her heart running faster than her legs. Rushing past Blanca who'd kept watch outside, she tried to get to Saki's home as fast as she could. Someone called her name, sounded like Gepetto. Irrelevant.

 _Fear_.

She had to know if he was alright.

 _Fear_.

What if he had died while she'd been away? She wouldn't forgive herself.

 _Fear_.

As she ran up the stairs, she heard a woman scream, coming from the guestroom.

 _Fear_.

A shockwave went through the air, stopping her in her tracks. It felt like back _then_ , the first day of their journey.. _Oh god_. She dashed up the last steps, her hand on her sword, ready to draw. When she ripped open the door, she seemed to crash right into a wall. The malice in the air was so dense, so palpatable you almost could cut it. It had formed into a black fog, clogging the whole room.

Karin wasn't even in there yet, still she felt sick to the stomach already. And Saki was in there, in the midst of all of this.. She couldn't hear her anymore though. Had something happened? She decided to force her way through the miasma. If it could be cut, she would do so, come hell or heaven.

 _Cut_.

She went through the barrier surrounding the room.

 _Cut_.

Past a monster that had come out of nowhere, trying to jump on her.

 _Cut_.

More monsters, the atmosphere changing dramatically.

 _Cut_.

Realisation settling in. This wasn't the guestroom at all. Not anymore at least. Now she heard Saki again and a strange hissing sound, followed by an inhuman scream, a sudden light (of a weird, violently pink color), more screams from Saki and even Kurando, then silence. Only for a few heartbeats though, before the battle began anew. Karin ran towards the sounds, still incapable of seeing anything at all, save the dusty ground beneath her feet.

Then she _did_ see.

Her heart stopped for a moment, only to resume beating with twice the speed. They were in a deserted area that wasn't unlike Yuri's graveyard, but somewhat different. It seemed more - dark somehow. Hopeless. Stained. And the creature attacking Saki and Kurando; it looked like a seriously distorted, warped version of the Yuri she knew. While he wore the exact same clothing, this Yuri had white hair, a sickly violet tinged skin, and a malicious smile on his face, as he fired another ray at Saki and Kurando. After this, the former had stopped moving and lay on the ground, unconscious, while Kurando held himself, but it became obvious he was at his limits as well, barely standing on his feet by this point. When he noticed her arrival, he blanched.

"Karin-dono, please run away! He has gone mad!"

While he called, a swift kick hit him flat in the diaphragm, knocking the swordsman down with a breathless cough. Then the creature that was both Yuri and not him turned his attention to Karin. His smile only grew wider.

"Look, look, look, what we have here. New company. Have you come to play with me?", the demon purred and slowly, oh so slowly, walked towards Karin, who backed off just a little, more out of a reflex than fear, her sword held in front of her, her eyes trying to project fearlessness - but her whole body shook. Not unlike a predator, the demon seemed to smell her fear and laughed as he stalked the amusing female. This would be nice to do the time - maybe he even could..

Someone rushed at him and he didn't even turn to send Kurando back to the ground, using a powerful wave of dark energy from his right hand. The swordsman groaned for a moment, then was out cold, much to Karin's horror. Now she'd have to face that monster alone..

"Yuri.. please wake up, it's me, Karin!"  
"It's no use, little Karin. I am in charge now. Yuri-boy is stuck where he belongs. On the same dirty graveyard he locks me in all day and night."  
"Who.. who are you?"  
"You may call me Nox-sama, little red rabbit. I think I'll keep you as my pet or something. If you get my drift.."

He lunged for her, but Karin rolled off to the side, avoiding his - probably poisonous - claws, just to jump back to her legs again. _Nox_.. Yuri had told her of him, once in a silent minute. How that was the only fusion he really didn't like to use - cause it was hard to control, according to him. She saw now he hadn't overstated things; this Yuri wasn't sane. And for just a moment Karin was scared of him.

This fear made her react slowly; when he went for her neck, she only barely fell back which was too hasty to keep her balance on top of it. With a WHUMP she hit the ground, laying on her back, cursing.

Nox laughed.

Karin screamed.


	2. Chapter 2

Nox laughed.

Karin screamed.

Like a hungry tiger he jumped for her - arms towards her, eyes glinting from desire, teeth bared in a silent grin; he was projecting more than just the want to spill blood, which chilled her to the core. Karin crossed her arms before her, seeking protection. Then, a loud BOOM, Nox flew to the side with a hiss, hit the ground, bounced once, rolled for a bit, then stayed down. The fusion dissolved into smoke, cursing under its breath. Karin looked from there to where the blast had come from. Kurando, or more his preferred fusion, the fox-like Tsukiyomi, hovered a few paces to her left, arms stretched out, panting. His work done, he landed softly and returned to his usual self - only to crumple under his own weight, strength depleted.

With a flash they were back in the guestroom. Karin sat up and looked around. Nothing had changed, except maybe for the fact they all looked as if they'd gone through hell - which wasn't all wrong. But even Saki and Kurando came to after a moment, wondering what had happened. Saki made one of her weird jokes after which Kurando gave her a strange look, then shook his head and helped the priestess up. Karin managed herself and walked over to Yuri who hadn't moved an inch from the bed. Not even the sheets had been disturbed.

It had all been an illusion, hadn't it?

"No. It certainly was real. I did tell you it would be dangerous..", Saki said behind her, startling the red-haired, offering a smile in apologise.  
"It feels as if that was only the first round", Karin then said, lost in thoughts, her hand touching the sleeping harmonixer's forehead. It almost burned her hand.  
"Your perception is sharp. Yes, this may have been only the first of many waves. There is quite an amount of malice in him.. Other people would have died from this. Maybe it is his frequent encounters with it that built some resistance in him. This may very well have saved his life. But it might cost ours in turn. Yuri has many monster souls inside him, some of them more dangerous than others, more instable you might say. And with this dreadful curse on him.."

Saki sadly shook her head.

"I am afraid, Karin-san. I certainly do not want to, but if he wakes and attacks us right away, I will have to kill my nephew. If his soul has been devoured by his inner demons, he himself will be nothing but a monster. A very dangerous one, too. I can not risk the lives of the villagers."

"I understand.. but he won't do that. He's Yuri after all, he won't let himself be beaten by them!"

"Let's hope you are right. How am I ever to face my brother if I kill his son?"

"I will watch him. You two go and rest", said Kurando, seeing the conversation was over. The women looked ready to drop, both Karin and his mother.

"Thank you, Kurando. You take care of yourself, and don't take any unneccessary risks, you hear me?"  
"Yes, mother.."  
"If you have to, bind him. You know how."  
"Yes. I understand."  
"Good. Karin-san, I trust you will find your way to the others?"  
"I think so.."  
"Then be on your way. Thank you for supporting us."

Karin nodded, copying the priestess' smile with her own, then made her way down the stairs. This time, the door fell shut softly.

* * *

When Yuri woke, he felt like a train had ran right into one ear, wasted what was between both and exited to the other.

Sitting up didn't feel like such a bright idea, so he just stayed down. While speaking of bright; why did this damn light have to burn through his eyes right into his trashed brain anyway?

A shuffling sound averted his attention from his limitless self-pitying and made him focus on the only other person in the room, who stood leaning against the farthest wall, arms crossed, head dipped down, seemingly asleep. He had moved just a little, but it had betrayed that the man was on edge. This slight tension in every muscle gave it away. The way he tried not to attract attention at all.

"... I know you're there, Kurando..", Yuri then sighed, leaning back into the pillows.

"You could sense me? You must be on the path to recovery then."

"Not much to sense when someone stares at you as if you'd bite them any moment.."

"Which is not so far from the truth.."

Even now, Kurando seemed cautious. Somehow Yuri knew, if he made one wrong move, he might end up at the pointy end of the man's katana. As for the why; he didn't have a clue. Last thing he knew; The volcano. Nicolai. He'd been stabbed and fainted. His lack of understanding puzzled the swordsman, who then slowly lowered his guard, as it didn't seem as if he'd have to defend himself in the immediate future.

"You don't remember?", he then ventured, gaining an almost annoyed look from the other.

"Bite me."

"No need to be rude now.. I simply want to know if you are aware of what happened earlier."

"Yeh, that sorry excuse for a priest-.."

"Not that. Later than that."

"What?"

"So you don't?"

"Stop talking in riddles. Not in the mood for games.."

"That's a problem then.. If are unaware, you may be unable to control it.."

"Control what?"

"We were fighting one of your monsters. It named itself Nox and came very close to seriously hurting my mother. And Karin."

At that, there was no reply. Also, Yuri seemed to have paled considerably and avoided the other's gaze.

"What is it?", Kurando asked when minutes had passed and his cousin still hadn't said a thing.

"Can you.. leave me for a moment?"

"I am afraid no. My duty is to watch over you - and _you_."

"Not saying it again."

"Neither. You are in no position to make demands right now. It would be best if you rest for a while until Saki-san returns."

"Or what? You gonna knock me out?"

"If I have to.."

"Tch.."

Yuri turned his back on Kurando, who only frowned, but didn't say anything further. The swordsman leaned back against the wall, his eyes fixed on that weird relative of his, as he went through the events once again. After Yuri had fainted, Kato had approached them. Told them he'd wait on the foreigner cemetary. What had the old man planned? Was it a trap? Then again, why lay a trap when he could have finished them right there at Mt Fuji? Was it because he himself was too weakened? Was there anything else they'd overseen? Should they really go to see Kato? Then again, he didn't seem like a man to pull such backhanded tricks as Sapientes Gladio. If he wanted them all dead, he could've done so a lot of times already.

When they'd seperated outside of Mt Fuji, he'd taken the mutant apes with him, none of them in good condition. In fact, Two of them looked more dead than alive. The female, Ouka?, had been best off and even had supported her master when he'd stumbled. Somehow it had felt as if she shouldn't have been able to breath at this point, but Kurando had put that feeling off. Just his imagination anyway. Weird enough..

Kato would be out of commission for at least three days, maybe four. Until then they'd have time to decide what to do. Wether to go there and risk getting sucked into an alternate dimension again, or stay here and let him do his thing, whatever that was.

It would feel good to rest here, just for a bit. Be at home, just for a little while. He'd make sure they all were safe - no matter what.

* * *

"She hasn't said a word" Anastasia.  
"I wonder what happened.." Joachim.  
Let's give her some time, eh, shall we?" Gepetto.

The friends looked over to their depressed companion-slash-redhead. Karin had spent the day helping the villagers with the others, caring for rice, cattle, leaking roofs. She'd done all that with that blank expression on her face. And, indeed, without one single word about the events. Shock one might call it. Before Kurando and Saki, she'd played it down. So Yuri attacked her, almost killed - or worse - her, what about it?

It hurt.

While she knew perfectly well it hadn't been him, she felt almost betrayed. The rational part of her mind knew it wasn't fair, judging him for something that probably was out of his control - he'd never let this happen -, knew also that she hadn't been the only or even the _first_ one, nonetheless it still hurt. And that made her silent. She wanted to come to terms with these feelings herself, not bother anyone else with them. Consequently, she'd started retreating into the proverbial snail house, avoided direct eye contact, seldom spoke. By now, it was late evening and she sat in a corner, hugging her legs, staring at the floor, hearing the others talk but not really listening. Wondering how _he_ was doing. If Kurando had _bound_ him.. whatever that meant. Likely nothing pleasant.

Somehow, from somewhere, she suddenly had the image of Yuri in her mind, all tied up like a package, cursing while Kurando sat somewhere nearby, eating a rice cake, drinking tea.

She heard someone giggle, found it was her own voice, and almost immediately she had all eyes on her.

"Hey look, she's back!", grinned Anastasia, always perceptive. "Told them you'd be fine!"

Karin tried to smile, but felt something wet roll down her cheek. She wiped it away, only for it to be replaced by another. What the, she didn't want to cry, so why..

"There, there. It's alright, girl. Let it all out, will ya?"

Gepetto gave her a reassuring pat on the back that didn't do anything to stop her tears, then shoo'ed away the others, mumbling something about privacy. Once they all had either retreated to a remote corner or gone outside, the old man flopped down near Karin, just silently waiting for her to calm down.

For a few minutes, this would be the only sound heard and when it finally died down, the silence was really uncomfortable; to say the least.

"You know..", Karin then began, her voice still cracking up here and there. "I d-didn't want to scare the others.."  
"No, no, that's alright...-"  
"Not that.. They shouldn't know... you know.."  
".. it's about Yuri, isn't it? Something happening to him, hm?"  
"Yeah.. I'm afraid he becomes a monster.."  
"Oh, don't worry about that."  
"I wish I was so optimistic as you..."  
"Just believe in him. He won't just give up like that."  
"But.. they way he was.."  
"Certainly wasn't him at all. Trust me, he will find a way to get over this."  
"But.. what if he doesn't?"  
"Then we will put him out of his misery"

Karin stared at Gepetto, whose look had considerably darkened with the last sentence. He looked straight at her, serious.

"As his friends, that's our duty. He wouldn't want us to let him rampage and destroy everything. If he loses his mind, we need to stop him, no matter the cost."  
"Gepetto.."  
"But", he grinned now. "this won't happen. Ever. He'll pull through."

Karin felt herself smile at this and turned to look at her feet. Gepetto just laughed.

"There, that's better. Laugh and trust in him."

Another gentle pat on her shoulders, then the old puppeteer stood - albeit with creaking bones and joints - and went to join the others outside. Karin waited for a few moments, then raised as well, intending on apologising for her attitude. But right when she was about to touch the door, she heard a bone-chilling scream, a loud crash from the outside, then the door was ripped open. It was Gepetto, a look of horror on his face.

"Karin, it's Yuri!"

* * *

Kurando groaned and pushed himself to his elbows.

What the hell..?

One moment everything was fine, the next he'd been blinded by a red glow. The next after that, the room was in flames and completely wasted, with him on the floor, every bone and muscle pure pain.

Yuri was gone, just like that. Slowly making it to his legs, Kurando realised his chances of fighting weren't exactly well. He even doubted he'd be able to catch the guy, let alone subdue him. Could he even stop him? He tried taking a step forwards, only to crumple with a hard THUD and a curse word he didn't even know he knew. Another try with his trusted katana as a crutch turned out better and somehow he even made it down the stairs, dropping down on the last step, coughing from inhaling too much smoke but grateful to be safe for now. The fire hadn't spread yet, so there were chances to save the house. If he just could move ... He closed his eyes for just a moment to gather his energy.

"Kurando, are you okay?!", called someone from the front door. That voice.. Anastasia?!

Unwilling to let her see him in this state, he started to stand up, only to have the world tilt before his eyes. Next thing he knew, the wall nudging against his shoulder, harsh and choking breaths escaping his lungs, every one inhaling more smoke. When had the fire spread this far?! He shook his head to get rid of the growing dizziness, but only succeeded in making it worse. When he took a step forwards, he'd almost fallen, hadn't it been for the wall's continued support. Damn it all, he couldn't even concentrate enough to fuse.. It would be easy getting out of here with Tsukiyomi's help. He slowly crept forwards, always leaning against the wall.

Anastasia seemed to wait, watching his every move, unable to help due to her small size,. He tried smiling to encourage her, but that only made her more nervous. Another breath brought so much smoke with it he found himself on his knees again, coughing until his eyes teared up. Anastasia called his name, but it sounded incredibly blurred. She even took his hand, trying to pull him back up, but all his strength was gone.

"Please.. flee..", he coughed, then fell on his side, unable to keep himself upright any longer. The girl cried out, shook him, then called for someone. Shortly after, heavy steps came running at them and two powerful arms took him up. The scent of grave dirt and bats hit his nostrils.

"Do not worry. The grand papillion is there to save the day!", the man proclaimed and started running. Anastasia muttered something that sounded like "Stop with the introductions and hurry up!", before passing by them in a blue-white blur. From there, Kurando didn't know what happened anymore.

x-x-x

Saki sighed.

"It is only a minor smoke poisoning. He will be fine", she said to everyone who'd gathered around Joachim and Kurando, who hadn't moved anymore, completely out. Relief washed over the group.

"But.. it seems our worst fears have proven true."

At that, there was no reply. Karin averted her eyes. Gepetto pulled his head as far down his forehead as he could. Saki noted this, nodded and further said

"I as the leader of the Inugami clan shall take full resposibilty for this. No one but me is to blame for what has happened here tonight. Anyone hurt shall receive retribution for their troubles."

The servants smiled. They hadn't expected less. But the leader wasn't done yet.

"Furthermore I, Saki Inugami, shall hunt the demon who did this down and punish him for his deeds. By my honor as your leader, this will never happen again."

At this, Karin felt her chest tighten on her. She stared at Saki, begging her to laugh and tell everyone it was a bad joke. But the female fusionist was dead-serious.

"Karin", she began, when said woman turned to go and stopped in her tracks. "Please come with me. You might be the only one to stop this madness without bloodshed."

* * *

 _Yuri was scared._

 _Not of the monsters around him._

 _But of the ones inside._

 _More exactly; one of them. The one sitting across him, grinning wide._

 _Nox._

 _They were back on the graveyard. Before the demon could take their common body too far away, Yuri had knocked him out; with a little help from Jeanne. Now, with nobody to control it, his empty shell probably lay prone somewhere in the midsts of nowhere. Anyway, better than having Nox run free._

 _So he'd sat down in front of the gate, arms crossed, preventing Nox from even coming close to the conscious part of their mind. The demon found this amusing and hadn't made any attempts at gaining control by force._

 _Jeanne on the other hand didn't like this whole setup and wished it'd end. But neither Yuri nor his dark twin moved. Yuri, because he knew that Nox would seize the chance while the gate wasn't guarded and Nox; being cautious. The demon realised that attacking the host mind wouldn't do him any good._

 _But.. he also knew Yuri had chosen the worst possible moment to knock him out. If this kept up for much longer, it would only be a matter of time until either some nasty monsters found and ate their body or it'd die from dehydration. He let his alter-ego know that with a grin and almost laughed at the stoic stare he got in return._

 _"Listen, boy", the demon then said. "If you let me pass, I will take us back to Inugami Village. I had my fun."_

 _"Bite me."_

 _"Oh, shall I? Are you afraid what happens when we show up there now?"_

 _"..."_

 _"That's rich. The mighty godslayer is afraid of a mob of angry villagers.. just eat them, like these soldiers back in Domre-..."_

 _"Shut up, will ya?"_

 _"What does he mean, Yuri?" Jeanne grabbed his arm, her big eyes looking up at him. He tried ignoring it._

 _"Don't listen. He's talking bull."_

 _"Bwahaha.. yeah, right. You've always blamed Amon for this, haven't you?", Nox cackled and moved a bit closer, which had Yuri right on edge again. "Maybe I should tell him? Let's see if he still keeps the curse at bay when he knows.."_

 _"Bite me."_

 _"So fierce.. now listen my boy. I will now go through this gate and you will get out of my way."_

 _"Or what?"_

 _"I will make you."_

 _"Oh yeah? Make me."_

 _The ground shook when a mighty shadow landed between Nox and Yuri. Jeanne squeaked and hid behind the letter, while Nox only stood and stepped next to Amon, for it was the mighty god of wrath. Even with the few facial expressions available to him, he didn't seem pleased._

 _"Amon.. I trust you listened on our little conversation?"_

 _The black-winged monster didn't reply. Instead his mighty claw gripped Yuri by the collar and pulled him up, threw him half across the graveyard, with power against the mistle tree, then cracked once, twice before the monster approached its host who scrambled back to his legs._

 _Amon's eyes glowed with a malicious red._

 _Nox on the other hand waved good-bye and vanished through the gate, ignoring Yuri's demands to stop, which were cut short when Amon landed another hit._

x-x-x

The forest was docile, for the fact it was supposed to be filled with evil, blood-thirsty monsters. Beginners, Nox grinned. Flexing the muscles of the body he claimed as his own for the moment, he took stock of his surroundings. Well, no town in sight. No monsters either. Only trees, more trees and – oh – another set over there. He even had dropped on a clearing, in bright moonlight.

Well, monsters weren't as dumb as people deemed them to be. They knew by instinct whom to attack and which prey would be rather unpleasant. Seemed he belonged to the "not preferred" category. Just as well. First thing he'd do was to wipe that pesky village from the face of earth. Then, as a little time-pass, send his host's little friends to the afterlife. Maybe he'd spare the little red bunny. This body felt like it seriously needed some _worldly_ pleasure..

Laughing gleefully at the protesting voice inside his head, he walked back towards the village – following an inner compass which he'd hidden just out of Yuri's reach. There was a reason the man couldn't find his way if his life depended on it after all.

If it wasn't for the headache, he could've entertained himself quite well. But since Amon had decided to play ball with that boy, he couldn't do much about it. Even if he was in control now, that didn't mean the body wouldn't feel the pain of its soul. And what a pain. He only could hope Amon did not plan on killing the boy, since the demon wasn't sure about the consequences. At the very least, Yuri bound all of them in this shell. If that binding was gone, who knew what would happen to them afterwards.

It wasn't as if he feared hell or something, this silly thing humans invented to scare their children into obedience. There was worse fates. Drifting around in the ether for example. Waiting until another harmonixer passed by and collected your sorry soul. With them going extinct, this wasn't likely. So you'd drift for a pretty long time. Hopefully Amon remembered that, while he tortured their host.

Then again, Amon had never been like them others in the first place. He'd been the only one to ever possess his own body, not depending on some human flesh. In fact, that guy was powerful enough to make soul pacts with the most arrogant humans. Like that Albert Simon guy. The one who was dead now.

Good riddance.

x-x-x

He'd just crossed a river, when a distinct feeling made him stop.

Yeah, something was definitely off here. It almost reeked of magic here. This overly clean smell, like the wind just before a thunderstorm. Probably a trap, or a barrier field he might run into and burn to a crisp. A decent hum in the air, coming from one pace in front of him. The demon decided to take a risk and stretched his arm out, one finger pointed forwards.

A spark when he touched the barrier, the tip of that glove's finger was gone. Close. If he'd been just a little careless, this might've ended nasty. Not that he didn't like nasty, usually. But this was just one too much, even for him. So in order to avoid getting toasted, he made a large round, always listening to where that sound was. Triumph when the barrier was behind him and his path was clear. So much for that, heh. No time for getting cocky, which irked him. If there was someone after his hide, they wouldn't just throw one of these in his way. There'd be more, a lot more. Probably less easy to spot, as well. He'd have to stay on his toes; merely a bother, really, but a bother nonetheless.

Another exploding headache sent him to his knees.

"Would you mind, AMON!?", he growled, holding his white-haired skull, teeth bared. For a moment or two, the pain was gone and he stood, planning on moving on, literally and in-a-manner-of-speech.

When he fell a second time, he found himself back on the graveyard.


	3. Chapter 3

Karin breathed hard. The magic had drained every ounce of power she had in her. Saki didn't even break a sweat! Then again, Saki was a full-fledged magician while Karin had to depend on crests..

But it had been worth the effort. At least, she hoped that.

When Yuri – no, Nox, she reminded herself – had avoided their circle earlier, she'd doubted he'd fall for the same trick another time. And then he'd simply collapsed. Just like that. Without a warning, also, without them doing anything. Karin wanted to go over where he'd fallen to see if he was even still alive, but Saki held her back.

"No. It's still dangerous"  
"But..."  
"It's still him. He will turn on you if he sees you."  
"But what if Yuri is back?"  
"No, I don't think my nephew is... back, as you call it. As I see things, this demon is too strong. Unless we get rid of it, Yuri will never return."

Indeed, as she spoke, not-Yuri pushed himself to his knees, then stood, rubbed his head for a moment, then just trotted on. The fusion was still very much in place. Whatever had knocked him down hadn't managed to gain control. At this rate..

"Karin", Saki then said, catching her in mid-thought. "I want you to throw your strongest magic at him. Do not fear for his safety; right now, a train could not kill him."

"Then what?"

"When he is down, or at the very least stunned, I shall cast a binding spell. If we are especially lucky, this will incapacitate Yuri's fusion powers for a while until we figured out how to help him."

"If not?"

"He will notice and kill us."

"Great."

"We have no choice. It is either him, us or the village."

"Alright.. I'll do my best."

"Good luck Karin-san."

As silently as she could, Karin left the bush they'd hidden in. Her luck; Nox was already out of earshot, so he heard neither the countless twigs she stepped on, nor her cursing or anything else. The path he'd taken was relatively free of underbrush, so .. maybe now..

Karin took chase.

He'd made remarkable progress while they'd stalled. Even running it took her a few minutes to catch up and when she did, he'd stopped and was about to turn her direction, when she slipped behind a thick tree, her heart racing from both exhaustion and fear. But he either hadn't seen her – or chose to ignore the fact he was being followed. Anyway the demon trotted on, seemingly involved in talking to himself. Mumbling something about Amon, the villagers, her.. She was in luck then. If he'd been more cautious, he might've detected her presence, probably easily too. Right now he didn't notice how she got ever closer an finally was in shooting range.

"Sorry, Yuri.. this might sting a little..", she whispered, before jumping a good few feet up in the air, drawing her sword and, setting it aflame in the process, threw it straight at the demon.

He chose that moment to turn around and grin at her.

A quick flash, a scraping sound, her sword hit the ground without as much as touching the demon's skin.

"Nice try, little red rabbit. But to defeat a wolf, you'll have to be more.. creative"

Karin knew she had at most two, maybe three seconds to react. After that, he'd have her throat – or worse. So she didn't think; just equipped a random crest and cast whatever magic was attached; a black fog surrounded her, then went to encircle the confused Nox. With every breath more of the dark matter went into his system and he already felt the effect. He coughed, staggered back, coughed harder, tried to flee but started stumbling. Then he fell forwards, landed with a dull THUD, unconscious.

Karin waited for a few more moments, then went over to him, carefully watching out for any signs of a trap. He was out cold.

And what made matters successful; the fusion had dissolved.

* * *

 _Nox fumed._

 _How dare that female?!_

 _To add insult to injury, he'd found Amon had done a good job wrecking stuff. Not only was their host out of commission, but also the freaking gate. Iceball's chance in hell that he – or anyone for that matter – got out of here in the near future._

 _So the white-haired demon paced up and down the graveyard, always throwing furious glances at a fully unimpressed Amon. By now, the others had joined their little party as well. Some newer, some older fusion monsters. Some could talk, others not so. Most were on his side, but some were actually willing to protect their host. The man who locked them up, all year long, every hour of the day. Nox shook his head over such rebellious behavior._

 _If they insisted on becoming his enemies, he would treat them as such, too. It wasn't as if fusion monsters couldn't die in here – it had happened in the past. Newcomers came, old fusions went, often without as much as a word. The less they were used, the more likely they'd just go BAM one day. He was very willing to help out with that, should they stand in his way._

 _The only problem; some of them, especially the oldest, were at a much higher level than him. They'd enjoyed the care and luxury of getting souls for their corresponding elements. He on the other hand had been forced to take whatever he was given. Which wasn't that much; ever since Amon was back, he'd been the one to get all the soul power. Luckily for him tho, Amon wasn't bright. He needed the leadership of his host. Without it, he was all but a willing slave. Easy to manipulate, easy to guide into doing his bidding._

 _So Nox got it all; his brains, Amon's limitless power and loyalty, and also a bunch of pawns he could either use or lose._

 _What he didn't have was an exit out of this place. Even if he could force the gate open, it'd be just that; a rusty, squeaking old gate. The portal was gone._

 _"Sucks.. doesn't.. it..?", the demon heard someone rasp and turned to face Yuri, who'd taken quite a beating, but grinned nonetheless, sitting against the mistletoe tree, one arm over his angled leg. It drove Nox mad._

 _"You.. will not get out of here..face it.."_

 _"S-shut up!" WHACK! That slap met the human's face hard enough to throw his head to the side. Afterwards though, Yuri just composed himself once again and threw a challenging gaze at Nox._

 _"That all? Bite me."_

 _"Why you..!"_

 _Again Nox went for Yuri, but this time, someone stood in his way. A tiger-like creature hissed and flexed a human-like claw._

 _Damn. It was one of the elders. Nox stepped back, teeth bared against the creature which only lowered its head, a deep growl in its throat, as it advanced on the bipedal demon who had no choice but backing off even further, throwing angry looks at the smirking Yuri._

 _"You're wrong with one thing; they ain't your pawns. They're my partners."_

 _With that, any fusion that hadn't already turned to face Nox, either fangs bared, claws extended or otherwise making threatening guestures according to their appearance. All except Amon, who retreated into the shadows._

 _Nox, now on his own, felt something well up he hadn't felt for years; panic. Plain and simple fear._

 _And with that, he ran._

* * *

"What was that spell, Karin-san? I have never seen the likes of it."

Saki said this with a smile as she approached Karin and the fallen fusionist, then knelt down next to latter and cast her binding magic on him, which wasn't much to look at, just a short, gentle light flashing up, then she stood again, looking at the red-haired woman.

"I.. I don't know.. It was just.. spur of moment I guess.."  
"Show me that crest of yours."

Karin gave her the talisman.

"I see.. Now I know why it worked so well. Nobody could have resisted this."  
"What is it?"  
"Black magic. It uses the target's biggest fear as a weapon. In this case.. it seems that demon fears to sufficate in smoke. After what he did to my house, surprising."  
"B-black magic?"  
"Do not worry, Karin-san. There is much false rumor to the colors and shades of magic. Black magic does not require any kind of sacrifice, unlike what people believe. It is just one kind of magic, a flavour you might say. You would not call a lemon bad just because it is sour, would you?"  
"N-no.." A sigh of relief.  
"Now.. what are we going to do with him?", Karin then asked as she looked at the man still lying unresponsive on the forest floor.  
"We will take him back to the village of course. I shall explain to the others as to why. I know exactly where he may rest for the time being."

x-x-x

They made their way back to Inugami Village.

Despite Saki offering her help, Karin had carried her companion all alone, but by the time they were back, it became obvious she was starting to get tired. Luckily, the others – minus Kurando and Anastasia - came to greet them and Joachim took over, easily carrying the smaller man in his powerful arms. At the sudden lack of weight, Karin almost collapsed from relief, held herself upright by sheer willpower though.

The place Saki had designated was none other than Sukune Fountain.

"A place of healing", she'd said on their way. "and it will be harder there for his demons to do their bidding. Our family has trained there for generations."

The family, that is, all of the Inugami clan, especially those with the power of fusion.

They hadn't made it there unnoticed of course. Suspicious glances, even untrusting ones were thrown their way. Who could hold it against the villagers, after the recent events? Who could blame them for hating the demon who'd put their beloved leader in danger? And these friends of his, were they demons too?

Rumors spread easily in a small village. Thus, it was no surprise they met nobody on their path to the fountain. The guard keeping watch in front of it made sure he didn't see them as they passed as well.

Saki hadn't come with them, claiming there were things to do that couldn't be delayed. Also, the path was pretty much straight-forward, so getting lost was out-of-question.

To Karin's surprise, they weren't alone at the fountain.

Anastasia looked up as they entered the chamber, waving at them, then tending to Kurando again, who was resting on a futon next to her, sleeping too fast to register the newcomers. Blanca was here too, barking once happily, then put his head back on his paws.

Joachim put Yuri down in some distance, his skyblue eyes worried.

"He will be alright, won't he?", the big man asked Saki, who smiled and nodded.

"Of course. I know my nephew is not the one to blame. I trust he solves whatever problem there is on the other side and will then return to us."

The vampire nodded and turned to go. Before he was out of earshot, he heard Karin call a "Thank you!", gave her a thumbs-up and was gone. Finally Karin let out the sigh of relief she'd been holding back, which was answered by a giggle. The red-haired looked at the princess who grinned, even broader when Karin didn't seem to get it.

"You know", the girl said, looking at the man beside her, her smile gentle now. "It's really weird, isn't it..? We do everything.. and these idiots almost get themselves killed."

"Anas-.."

"And still.. we love them, right? It's just proper to care."

"Yeah, it is.."

"You know what..? If I had one wish, I'd become his wife."

This wasn't surprising. Everyone knew the girl had a serious crush on the swordsfighter-slash-harmonixer. But that wasn't the point and Karin knew it, because Anastasia went on without waiting for an answer.

"I'm scared.. it feels as if something bad happens when we see that guy."

"Yeah.."

"And.."

"And?"

"He has nobody he wants to protect anymore.. Such people are dangerous. I don't want Kurando get hurt anymore."

Karin looked at Anastasia. The little girl, their childish princess.. suddenly, she didn't seem like a spoiled kid anymore. Her eyes didn't belong to the naive, proud daughter of the tsar anymore. No doubt she would be a great leader when her time came. They were burning with an intense fire, even as she hugged her legs and balled her fists. But then she relaxed again, wiped any trace of wetness from her eyes and smiled.

"Nevermind. Whatever Kato is planning, we will stop him, right?"

"Yes, that's right.."

"And you tell that big dummy how you feel. While you still can."

Karin was about to give the girl a befitting reply, then found she didn't listen anymore so the swordfighteress swallowed the comeback and gently touched her companions forehead. He was practically burning. So Karin looked around for a cloth and flinched when one hit her square in the neck, Anastasia giggling.

"It's a spare. There's buckets over there too", the girl said, pointing to a remote corner.

Karin fetched one, filled it with the clear, sweet-smelling fountain water and returned to Yuri's side, soaked the cloth in the fluid and put it on the fusionist's head, then sat down, her legs under her, tension finally leaving her body. All she'd have to do was wait now.

x-x-x

 _Yuri found it.. amusing. Which was disturbing, even to him._

 _Watching that pack of angry monsters chase a freaking out Nox across the dark plains, with no chance for him to escape. One wrong move and he'd be cornered. What happened then was clear; he wouldn't make it out of that situation alive._

 _This treacherous coward would get just what he deserved._

 _Right..?_

 _"You have.. doubts", someone said next to the fusionist. He looked up and right into Amon's dark face. Unlike Nox, Yuri could understand the demon's words perfectly well, despite him not actually talking._

 _"It doesn't seem right..", he replied, averting his gaze, instead focusing on Nox who, by now, stood with his back to a door that refused to budge, surrounded by snarling, growling, hissing fusion monsters. But they seemed to wait for something; or simply enjoyed torturing the fool daring to call them pawns._

 _"It is.. not.. right", Amon agreed, settling down beside his host. "You. Stop them. Before. Worse happens."_

 _"Why? After all he did?"_

 _"He is... Part of you.. You let them... they destroy you too."_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"Fusion monsters.. simple. Once angry.. they hunt. Nox... not enough prey.. for all. You are."_

 _Yuri tried not to show his fear, but Amon's words sent a chill down his spine. If he was right, he couldn't flee. He'd be in Nox's place in no time; and that'd be the end of his story. He stood up, instantly feeling the aftermath of the previous hours. Every single bone hurt. He groaned, staggering for a bit, finally leaning against the mistletoe tree for support. Amon looked at him, his mask expressionless as always._

 _"I.. sorry for... this. I.. to blame.. for your death.. if you fight."_

 _Yuri threw a stare at the demon, who also rose and put a mighty claw on Yuri's shoulder. The energy rushing through him was almost enough to knock him out for good – almost. Then it started to feel good. Very good in fact. Suddenly he knew he could do it. Amon pulled back, nodding, then watched as Yuri rushed at the group which was about to lynch Nox, who, in turn, had cowered down, whimpering, a shadow of his former self._

 _Before the mob could pounce on the beaten demon though, something stepped between them and their prey._

 _"Stop this right now", Yuri said. "It's enough."_

 _"Go.. away.. human. This one.. is ours", tiger claw said, stepping forth, his eyes glimmering from blood lust._

 _"Leave him alone."_

 _"What? He hurt you .. too.. human.. why protect.. Nox?"_

 _"Listen. If you're gonna kill him, you'll have to go through me first."_

 _At that, a collective flinch went through the group and the monsters stepped back. All of them had their fair share of fighting this man already. None of them was too keen on repeating that embarrassing slaughter they had gone through, back in the old and even more recent days. Not only that; but it was certainly impressive this human could project such a power despite being injured. Tiger claw stepped back, then walked away, just to disperse in a cloud of steam a few steps later. The others followed in silence. Yuri waited for another moment, then turned to Nox who hadn't moved from his position, probably not realising what had happened. So Yuri sighed, offered the demon a hand and, when it was ignored, called his name._

 _Nox looked up._

 _"What..?!"_

 _"Come on. Let's stop this bullshit. I'm sick of it."_

 _"You...! Wait.. what..?"_

 _Only now Nox noticed the absence of murder and slaughter on his person. All there was was his copper-haired counterpart, holding out his hand towards him, as if they were the best of friends. In the background, Amon, doing nothing at all. Why!?_

 _"It's over. Face it, you lost", Yuri tried again, hand not moving. Nox eyed it warily._

 _"I could still kill you, human", Nox growled, but Yuri just smirked._

 _"Yeah, right. You needed Amon's help to get to me; fight me if you want."_

 _"Tch.. what do you suppose I should do now, human?"_

 _"Just cut the crap and go home."_

 _"Back into the darkness? Never."_

 _It clicked. It didn't make sense, but it clicked. Nox was afraid.. that was all the reason he needed for this whole mess. Yuri stared at the white-haired demon for a moment, unable to grasp what he'd just learned, then laughed, catching the annoyed glance of the other._

 _"What?!"_

 _"I see.. I haven't been treating you very nicely, have I? Look. You're always going out of control in fights. I can't let you out.."_

 _Nox bared his fangs. Yuri felt the guilt like a stone pressing down on his shoulders. It wasn't the monster's fault; he was to blame. He was the harmonixer, he was supposed to control them. They were just parts of his self, in the end. If he didn't keep them on a leash, who would? They themselves weren't capable of it. They weren't really humans. He was weak and thus too afraid to risk letting one particulary powerful fusion take control._

 _One single moment of weakness had given Nox an edge. The demon had been determined to get out of the darkness – and been successful at that._

 _Yuri thought about the problem – something he really disliked to do – then sighed, smiled and began retreating his hand, when Nox finally grabbed it, accepting the help as he stood. He still was glaring, but it was less hatred and more suspicion in his eyes now._

 _"You know you need a woman every now and then, right?", the demon then suddenly said and when Yuri gave him the wide-eyed blink, Nox laughed. Not a gloating of gleeful, but actually amused laughter._

 _"I am your desires. You better listen to me. Like in the good old days.."_

 _"Yeah, in your dreams, buddy. I left that behind. I'm a one-woman-man now."_

 _"She's still waiting you know.."_

 _Instantly, the mood got a crack. Frosty winds blew in and made the whole conversation uncomfortable for the both of them. Yuri wasn't smiling anymore either. His eyes burned with intensity._

 _"What are ya talking about?", he said, voice even._

 _Nox looked the other over, then grinned, shook his head. "_ _You will find out soon enough."_

 _With that, the demon turned to go. Yuri called after him, but Nox just waved good-bye and was gone in a poof._

 _For a few precious seconds, the fusionist just stared at where the white-head had disappeared, then felt his fists clench all on their own. A growl in his throat. Damn that... how can he..._

 _"Graaah! BITE ME!", he cried into the eternal night._

x-x-x

Karin flinched.

Hadn't she heard something?

She'd been here for three days straight now. No signs of Yuri waking up and somehow, she started to worry. What if he actually died in his sleep? There was so much she wanted to tell him..

Kurando had long since waken and was already outside, helping with rebuilding Saki's house – which made astonishing progress. Soon there'd be no trace left of the recent - happenings. Hopefully the villagers wouldn't hold it against them. She sighed. Nothing was ever easy.. with their luck, they'd be chased out soon.

Then there was it again. She looked at Yuri, right when he mumbled these two words.

"Bite me."

And he woke.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE

* * *

 _Yeah, weird ending alright. But from there, I planned it to go canon again. Since I don't want to spoiler any of my readers, this will be the end. If you need more, there's an "Alternate Ending" and a couple other stories I wrote ;) Check them out!_

 _Thanks for reading!_


End file.
